Baseball Campaign Part Of Deaver Ethics Probe

May 16, 1986|United Press International

WASHINGTON -- White House aides, urged to cooperate with an FBI probe of ex-presidential aide Michael Deaver, have been told the inquiry will cover his efforts to return major league baseball to Washington, officials said Thursday.

Deputy press secretary Larry Speakes also acknowledged that in addition to urging cooperation with the FBI, White House legal counsel Peter Wallison laid down ethical standards for presidential aides in response to the Deaver case.

Wallison, in a pair of memos circulated this week, outlined the areas under investigation by the FBI and cautioned White House staffers about their obligations under conflict-of-interest laws and government ethics regulations.

White House officials said Wallison indicated the matters under review by the FBI include Deaver`s role in obtaining a letter of endorsement from Reagan for a campaign to land a major league baseball team for the capital.

``The work the firm did on behalf of the D.C. Baseball Comission was strictly on a voluntary (and free) basis,`` a source close to Deaver said. ``The project was undertaken so the people of this firm, like every other citizen in Washington, would have an opportunity to buy a ticket to a baseball game.``

Speakes characterized one document, a six-page memo that recommends cautious adherence to established standards of ethical conduct, as a compilation of rules and regulations contained in the White House Staff Manual. The FBI is looking into allegations that Deaver may have violated conflict-of-interest laws in his quick transition last year from deputy White House chief of staff to a well-connected lobbyist.